Freshly Pressed’s Best Of July 2012

The month of July has come and gone and we featured over 600 posts on Freshly Pressed . So here is a look back at ten of these stories: those we thought were the most interesting and those the WordPress.com community loved and engaged with the most. • Torridon Photographer Fraser McAlister shares the shots he took on a trip to Scotland: photos of hills, lakes, insects, and more spotlight the country’s beauty. The unique green/gray palette made this photo series feel visceral. • Crocheting to Change the Planet We get a glimpse at the Crochet Coral Reef project in St. Petersburg, Florida and learn about climate change’s effect on the biodiversity of the ocean. And how could you not love jellyfish made of yarn? • Why Blogging Scares Me A young blogger shares why she waited a month to put up the first post of her new blog devoted to life and food. Her honesty and openness left an impression on us. • An Open Letter to Jessica Redfield Miles Venkman somberly compares his own experience with The Dark Knight Rises to that of the late Sports blogger. The shootings in Aurora left a mark on many communities, including WordPress. • Dirty Thirty: The List What would you like to accomplish before you hit the age of 30? One young woman shares her aspirations. Everyone should make lists like this and actually push to fulfill them. • Why sweat the big things? Worry about the small (really important) stuff. This food blogger discusses what frustrates him in life, and shares a wonderful and unique sorbet recipe. As before, honest and thought-provoking writings about life really engage people. • 5 Easy Steps To Make Your Own Blog Header! Donah takes us through how she created the images that top her blog page. It is a clear tutorial that can be helpful for many bloggers who are looking to improve their pages but aren’t sure how. • Friday Fifteen This bibliophile shares with us a handful of 15-word book reviews, focusing on books from the U.K. to celebrate the Olympics. It is a series, so check out his other quick reviews. • 10 Things That Suck About Being a Guy This sometimes earnest and sometimes tongue-in-cheek post highlights the pitfalls of masculinity. This post is quite universal; most of us men feel this way at sometime or another. • The Olympics Are Fabulous (Sometimes) Lastly, Julia Hass shares her opinion on the Olympics–not the athletes or the sports events, but the teams’ clothes. The nations’ official uniforms were all quite different and quite intriguing. What were your favorite Freshly Pressed items and blogs posts of the month? And for those who want more, check out Freshly Pressed , follow our Daily Post writing prompts and challenges, and browse our Recommended Blogs and our blog topics . For more info on how we choose posts for FP, peruse our support documents .